


Terms of Parole

by swtalmnd



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff and Smut, HP Reunion 2014, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 22:23:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2557874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swtalmnd/pseuds/swtalmnd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stricter laws force werewolves and other cursed humans to check in with the Ministry once a month, but also allow better access to Wolfsbane. Percy Weasley has been moved from the Minister's office down to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where he ends up with Remus Lupin's case.</p><p>They drink a lot of tea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Terms of Parole

**Author's Note:**

> My tiny contribution to the HP Reunion 2014.

Half an hour after his weekly meeting with Lupin, Percy was still running arguments over in his head about whether Snape's newest published article was derivative of his work on the Wolfsbane, or a whole new use of the aconite plant. His paperwork was in order and he'd signed off one more positive mark in the files of all today's cases, so his feet took him into his favourite after-work tea shop for his customary cuppa while his mind continued the now one-sided discussion.

He was surprised to find someone in his usual spot -- Remus Lupin, of all people. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise..." he said. He'd been so distracted, he hadn't even registered Lupin's presence until he'd been about to sit down opposite Lupin without so much as a by-your-leave.

Remus smiled his usual welcoming, bland smile. "Did I forget something, or were you just dying to finish our conversation?" he asked, setting aside the journal he'd been reading; Percy had long ago discovered that the proprietor kept a variety of excellent professional journals on hand for his customers. It was one of the reasons he took tea there regularly.

Percy was flustered, but he recovered himself smoothly enough, "The, uh, latter, of course. If I may join you?" he said, though he himself wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be.

Remus' blinding smile was answer enough, really. "Yes, of course, of course!" he said, shifting his meal so it only took up one side of the small table.

The waiter arrived just as Percy sat, as though he'd been waiting to see how the small drama played out before approaching. "The usual, Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes, please," said Percy, settling his napkin in his lap.

"Did you wish to share Mr. Lupin's pot of Assam, then, or did you require a fresh one of your own?" the waiter asked.

"We'll both share a fresh one," said Remus quickly. "This pot's nearly empty."

"Of course," said Percy with a grateful little smile. "How fortunate we both have the same taste in tea." He always welcomed the chance to stretch a Galleon or two.

Remus' weathered cheeks grew suspiciously pink. "Ah, well, I'd been working my way through the list, actually, but I do rather like this one. Very robust." He fiddled with his cup while the waiter Banished the pot to the kitchen and tapped the creamer to refill it, then left them to their conversation with a little bow.

A clean cup appeared in front of Percy, still warm from washing. "I always thought it supported my sugar habit quite well," said Percy conspiratorially, putting three sugar mice -- they were always animals shapes at this table, though at others he'd spotted flowers or toys -- in the bottom of the cup, where they ran in circles until he doused them with milk and their feet began to dissolve.

Remus laughed, sounding far more genuine than he ever had in Percy's dim cube of an office. "I've always liked a substantial tea myself," he confided, draining his cup and dropping in a pair of unfortunate hedgehogs. He put in rather more milk than Percy had, enough to wash away their little sugar spines and leave them entirely inundated. Fortunately, their magic dissolved along with their shape and soon they were stirred in. "So," he said, as the pot appeared between them, steaming gently, "why is it that you think the work is so derivative? The balance of aconite in Wolfsbane is an entirely different application, and I'm sure your job has shown you all the ways in which werewolves aren't human, including their reaction to potions."

Percy checked to see that the tea had been allowed to brew before making its way out to them and, satisfied with its colour and aroma, poured for them both. "Well, in working on the Wolfsbane he spent a lot of time finding how aconite reacts with hellebore and armadillo bile, both of which are cited in his article," said Percy. He took a sip and let out a pleased little hum, letting the sweet, thick flavour of the tea dissolve on his tongue like a little taste of home.

They talked like that for far longer than Percy's usual stay, going through several pots of tea and even ordering biscuits for afters, until Mr. Tuttle, the proprietor, had to politely shoo them out the door, still discussing the merits of fresh-picked herbs versus those harvested under more specific conditions and preserved.

"I have to say," said Remus in a conspiratorial tone, "this is much less frustrating than our usual chats."

"I hate that the Bureau makes you report in at all," said Percy, "but I can't say I've minded being the one to catch your case when Wadsworth retired." The Bureau of Magical Creatures required all werewolves, vampires and other Cursed humans to report in regularly, a state of affairs suspiciously like that of an ex-convict undergoing parole. Percy found the whole thing distasteful, but he hadn't fought his assignment there after the new Minister chose to replace all the Assistants, Junior and otherwise, left over from his predecessor.

"You're much more pleasant to talk to," said Remus with a wry smile. "At least you listen to what I've got to say."

"I can't help it if you're interesting," said Percy with a laugh.

Remus replied with a tired chuckle that reminded Percy how close it was to the full moon. "At least someone thinks so."

"Oh, poppycock," retorted Percy, though in truth he often thought the very same thing about himself. "I remember you were one of the most popular teachers we ever had at Hogwarts."

"A lifetime ago, to be sure," said Remus wistfully. "I did enjoy that, you know, teaching. Ah, this is my street."

Percy nodded; after all, Remus kept his address scrupulously up-to-date, unlike some. "You... I don't suppose you'd like to join me for tea next week as well?" he asked impulsively.

Remus' answering smile was worth the small risk. "I'd love to. Perhaps we can make a habit of it, if Tuttle isn't fed up with us."

"He hasn't tossed me out yet," reassured Percy.

They parted with a wave and a smile, and Percy went home feeling both pleased and guilty. Remus wouldn't likely appreciate that words like 'handsome' and 'sensual' topped the list of adjectives Percy ascribed to him, along with 'intelligent, witty and charming.'

Percy had a lot of practice hiding his crushes, however, and he comforted himself in the thought that at least Remus would never know.

* * *

Remus never managed to prepare himself for the wave of arousal that followed on the heels of his first whiff of Percy's warm, spicy scent. He found Percy's prim manners and precise movements sexy, to say nothing of his fierce intellect and insatiable curiosity. He thanked the stars once again for the many-layered robes that kept his aching joints warm and hid a multitude of sins, and took another deep breath as he pushed his way into the cramped, neat office. "Reading Snape's latest, I see," said Remus, nodding at the monograph serving as a paperweight for his own file.

"Read, actually," said Percy with a smile. "I thought I might loan it to you, since books are likely low on your household budget."

"Really?" said Remus, more pleased than he could admit. Werewolves couldn't even get into the Wizarding libraries anymore, and Muggle libraries could only tell him so much. Remus had long ago sold off most of his own collection to secondhand shops, and only recently had managed, with Percy's help, to find a job that wouldn't sack him for his suspiciously lunar illnesses. He ran his fingers over the barely-touched binding, then picked it up and sat with it clutched in one hand, a familiar and much-missed weight. "I'd love that," he added unnecessarily. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome," said Percy. "I found it used at White's Whispers, and I couldn't resist getting it, knowing you'd be able to read it, too."

Remus felt a warmth rather higher than the heat that always pooled in his groin when Percy was around. "That's very thoughtful of you."

Percy flushed adorably. "Thank you," he said, clearing his throat and straightening his papers as he always did when Remus scored a point with him somehow. "How's the job going?"

"Really well," said Remus, letting the idea of Percy's blushes simmer in the back of his mind. "Mrs. Brower handled the shop for the days I was gone, and with my Wolfsbane I was able to come back much sooner than usual."

"So your supplier is holding up his end?" asked Percy, making a note. Some of them weren't, much to everyone's distress, and he'd had to send Aurors round twice so far this month.

"Well, Snape," said Remus with a chuckle. "He's very keen on knowing I'm tamed."

"Do you think he'd accept a few more clients? He did write that article on tips for larger batches," asked Percy hopefully.

"I never can tell, with him," said Remus with a shrug. "An official inquiry letter wouldn't go awry, especially if you emphasise how much better his product is than other suppliers."

"Well, some is always better than none," said Percy with a snort, "but I have learned the fine art of kissing arse, and have no qualms using it on Snape."

Remus let out a surprised laugh at Percy's indelicate phrasing, so out of step with his usual prim manner. "Just as long as you're only doing it by owl, I'd hate to think of you..." Remus blushed, because in fact he didn't hate the thought at all, Percy with his proper mouth down in such a dirty place.

It was Percy's turn to laugh in surprise. "With Snape? Hardly."

The denial of person and not act dropped like a Fizzing Whizbee into Remus' burbling background thoughts, and suddenly the idea exploded out, leaving him blinking with his world ever so slightly rearranged. "Percy, may I be terribly improper and ask you a personal question?" he found himself saying, before his brain could catch up to his mouth.

Percy's eyebrow went up. "You can ask," he said evenly.

"Well, I was just... Are you seeing anyone at the moment? A girlfriend or boyfriend?" asked Remus, since it was the least personal of all the questions crowding to the forefront of his mind.

Percy blushed, then shook his head, clearly embarrassed. "Mum is forever on me about settling down with a nice bloke, especially now that Bill and Fleur are on their second baby."

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to step on any toes, I mean, I'd hate it if someone were home waiting when I kept you out so late," stammered Remus, back-pedalling for all he was worth, though he made a mental note that it was a nice bloke Percy would settle down with, were he to settle down. Unfortunately for Remus, these days he barely qualified as human, let alone someone to bring home to mother. Even a mother as kind as Molly Weasley.

"Oh, I see!" said Percy, cheering up immediately and confirming Remus' theory that he'd been worried Remus would hit on him. "No, no, just old bachelor me," he said, sounding almost jolly.

"Well, then, at least we're just two old bachelors together, with no one to be bothered when we stay out discussing academia until all hours," said Remus, slapping on the false cheer he'd perfected years ago.

It melted into real cheer by the end of their meeting, once they got to talking about other things. Remus learned that Hermione -- now Mrs. Ron Weasley -- was making some small headway on her nonhuman rights crusade, though it looked like she might be distracted for a bit bearing their first child. Percy laughed at Remus' stories of the customers at work, and that segued into a more serious discussion of the politics surrounding supposedly Dark Creatures.

"Could you go ahead and get our table?" asked Percy, when the end of the hour came around. "I've go to file your paperwork, I should be, well, just as long as last week, I suppose," he said with a shy laugh.

"It'll give me time to start on Snape's book," said Remus, hefting it. "Same table, or a larger one?"

"I don't mind it a bit cosy if you don't," said Percy, grin looking oddly shy. "I'm rather attached to the animals."

Remus laughed. "I like them better than the flowers, anyway. They've got more life in them."

"I'll see you there, then," said Percy, assurance and dismissal all in one.

"See you there," said Remus, taking his leave, though he did pause in the doorway to admire Percy's figure, head already bent to his work, his dark red hair glowing with copper highlights. He sighed and left, wondering if Percy would want to keep going through the tea list with him, or would rather stick to what he knew. It was better than pondering his hopeless crush.

* * *

Percy started going out of his way to find used books that would be of interest to both himself and Remus on his biweekly trips to White's Whispers. The resulting conversations were stimulating enough that he didn't feel quite so much like a student with a pathetic crush on his Professor.

Today, for instance.

"I just don't interpret his data that way, I think he's blinded by his own experimental bias," said Remus, tapping the cover of _Measurable Humanity_. "After all, I started out life as a perfectly normal wizarding boy, I wasn't born some subhuman beast."

"You're not a subhuman beast now," replied Percy, his voice tart and irritated. "I'm not sure why we're even discussing his theories as though there was anything to them."

Remus looked taken aback for a moment, then a little smile played around his mouth as he shrugged. "People will believe it, the ones that were never in my class, that have never met a werewolf that's got things under control."

"They'll have seen the goblins at Gringotts, or been served by a house elf, or remember the merpeople at Hogwarts," said Percy, and then he sighed and sat back. "And of course they'll use those examples to fuel their fear, because the goblins are intimidating and the merpeople were exotic and house elves are..."

"They're not all like Dobby," said Remus with a chuckle, "but those that aren't, often aren't ever seen by anyone but the master of the house."

A fresh pot of tea appeared between them, and Percy checked the colour. "Not done yet," he said, draining his cup and adding a splash of milk, then one of the big otters from the sugar bowl, along with the last little hedgehog. The two little sugar animals splashed and played in the shallow milk, and somehow Percy couldn't hold onto his annoyance after that. "Well, I suppose if people will want to believe this tripe is coming from an expert, we'll have to find the arguments that will show how poor his research is."

Remus laughed, adding a generous pour of milk before taking the other otter for himself. It dove in and swam around, its delighted otter grin the last bit to dissolve. "We've gone through another sugar bowl," said Remus guiltily, tapping it with his wand.

It was Percy's turn to laugh. "Well, with two for you and three for me, it's really no wonder," he said. "Milk's about done for, too."

Another tap from Remus' wand and both containers were once again refilled, the sugar bowl nearly overflowing this time with sleeping kittens. Percy checked the tea again and, finding it now an acceptable shade of brown, poured for them both. 

Percy sipped his tea and smiled a bit wickedly. "Now, it seems to me there's a basic problem with his research in that he put the theorem first and sampled to skew his data from the first," he said. "For instance, despite the fact that there's a population of creatures coming in for their regular monthly checks that he could have contacted, he deliberately went out of his way to find those living outside the law."

That started them off, and they pulled out parchment and made notes, and in the end Percy declared he'd write a letter to the _Prophet_ decrying the level of research that gets published as fact these days. The smile on Remus' face as they left that day was worth all the flak he'd get at work for such a public statement.

* * *

The next time they met, Remus was pleased to hear that Percy had written to Snape and managed to wrangle a promise from him of more doses of Wolfsbane each month -- for adequate compensation, of course.

"Your boss approved it?" he asked, watching Percy's face full of pride.

Percy nodded. "We're cutting off funding to a couple of the less reliable ones, it'll cost a little more in the long run, but he's approved the increase in the budget." He couldn't seem to stop grinning. "I put a note in your file that it was your suggestion."

"It was really your idea," said Remus, but he didn't argue any further, because they both knew his file could use the note even more than Percy's. "Want to go somewhere different to celebrate?" he blurted, feeling half mortified, but also a strange sense of relief. "Somewhere nice."

Percy's shy, surprised smile was worth it. "I'd like that, um, am I dressed well enough?" he asked, looking down at his impeccable work robes.

Remus chuckled. "Better than I am, and well enough for anywhere I can afford," he teased, though his own robes were much nicer now, magically restored secondhand rather than patched and threadbare from the charity shops. He saw Percy starting to object and held up his hand. "You've helped me find and keep a job, shared your books and your tea with me, this one's my treat."

"All right," said Percy, "it's a date." He paused, then his eyes went wide and he started to backtrack. "Not that you'd want to, I mean, you haven't asked me, and-"

Remus felt a slow grin come over his face, warm and predatory at once. "Percy, will you go out on a date with me tonight?" he asked, stomach fluttering but a part of him nearly certain, for once, that Percy might actually say yes.

He didn't have time to get even less certain, because Percy's mouth snapped shut, and then he nodded, looking very shy indeed. "If you're sure you want to, I'd like that very much."

"I've wanted to for ages," said Remus, feeling his own shyness try to rise up, but he shoved it down resolutely. "Especially since we became friends."

The look on Percy's face was one Remus would treasure for years, surprise and delight and such warmth and affection that Remus thought he might never see on another person's face again. "We are friends, aren't we?" he said happily. "Well, friends or not, we still have to finish your interview, and my paperwork."

"Of course," said Remus, and he launched into his usual review of his job and home and Wolfsbane. The hour flew by, and Remus and Percy agreed to meet at a little bistro that catered mostly to other Diagon Alley merchants rather than their clientele. It wasn't much for atmosphere, but the food was delicious and plentiful, and Remus rather thought that Percy and he could make their own atmosphere.

* * *

Percy nervously smoothed down his robes one last time, and then took a deep breath and stepped up to where Remus was loitering near the bistro. "Thank you again," he said, hoping he didn't look as anxious as he felt.

Remus grinned at him, looking as handsome as ever, and so much less worn down than he had when they first began meeting. "I should be thanking you for doing me both the honour of being my date, and the favour of giving me credit for Snape." He offered Percy his arm.

Percy smiled and took it, finding Remus' arm warm but thinner than he looked in his layered robes. "Well, then, we're both very welcome to enjoy one another's company," he said, hoping he didn't sound like a prat.

Remus' smile only brightened.

Remus led them inside, and the proprietor greeted him cheerfully and led him to a table that was already waiting, with a steaming pot of tea and a little gift at one of the two place settings. Remus pulled out Percy's chair while the proprietor slipped away. "You didn't have to do all this," he said, gesturing to the gift.

"Of course I did, I am the one who asked you out," said Remus, sounding particularly pleased with himself. "Go on, when I saw it, I had to get it for you." He sat opposite Percy, napkin going into his lip, and looked expectant.

Percy unwrapped the small bundle and laughed when it was a whole jar of sugar kittens, snoozing away in their glass bed. "I suppose you did, at that," he said, opening it up immediately and putting one in each of their cups with a wink. "We'll use the sugar here, mostly, but it does seem to suit the occasion."

"Yes, it does," said Remus. "And this way you can have a little bit of our evenings out when you're stuck in your office." They passed around the milk and sugar with the smooth familiarity of many nights drinking tea together.

Percy checked the tea, which was fully brewed and smelled like their favourite Assam, and then poured. "What are we having for dinner?"

"I didn't want to presume," said Remus, picking up his menu, "so all I ordered was the tea."

Percy picked up his own menu, and they spent the next few minutes discussing things before they ordered a ploughman's board to share, and soup and salad for each of them to go with it. It wasn't much different from the usual fare they got, but it felt special all the same for being their first proper date. When the first food arrived on their table, it was a little vegetable plate with radish roses, carrot leaves, and silly heart-shaped cucumber slices.

"I guess they like you," said Percy, picking up a cucumber heart and dipping it into the creamy sauce in the middle of the small arrangement.

"I may have gushed a little when I was setting up the table," said Remus with a blush. "He seemed to find it very romantic to host a first date between friends who hope to be more." He picked up a radish and ate it whole, crunching it cheerfully between his teeth.

Percy smiled very fondly indeed, thinking that he'd have been just as bad. "We're well-matched," he teased. "I'll have to think of something to do on our next proper date."

"We won't stop having tea, though, will we?" asked Remus, a little plaintively.

Percy laughed. "No, no, but we should have real dates sometimes, don't you think? I mean, assuming this one goes well."

Remus took Percy's hand and kissed his fingers. "I can't imagine it won't."

They held hands like that and munched on vegetables until the rest of their food arrived, the big board of cheese, meat and fruit crowding the little table when added to the teapot, salads and soup bowls. The food was generously portioned, and they talked while they ate, trading bites of this and that and discussing the reception of Percy's letter to the editor. Even Percy's boss had been impressed, as though it had taken the outside view to remind him that he had an exceptional wizard working for him.

"I told him about tonight," blurted Percy.

Remus nodded. "That was wise, so you can't get in trouble if someone finds out you're seeing me. Will you have to hand off my case?" he asked.

Percy shrugged. "Hermione's proposed changes to the law look like they're going to go through at the special Wizengamot next week, which would mean you don't need to report in the same way anymore, in which case it wouldn't matter much who ended up with your file. It might even help your case, showing you could keep a steady relationship with a normal wizard."

"I don't really mind about that, either way," said Remus. "As long as I can still have time in your company, I can endure an hour of someone else every month."

"Well, not Whateley," said Percy with distaste. "He's been written up more times than I can count for treating his clients poorly."

"Not him, no," said Remus. "I had one appointment with him when Wadsworth was out sick. He shouldn't be in that department at all." His voice was serious and tired. "He's got more in common with that bloke who wrote _Measurable Humanity_ than with you."

"Well," said Percy, trying to lighten the mood, "I am exceptional."

"Yes," said Remus with a smile, "you are."

Once the check was paid, Remus gave Percy his arm again and they strolled through the dim streets of a quiet Diagon Alley. "Shall we get Fortescue's?" asked Remus as the shop grew near, "Or perhaps you'd like to come back to mine?"

"Oh, we should go to mine," said Percy. "I'm certain the bed's bigger." He blushed at his own boldness, but they were both adults, and Percy was heartily tired of waiting and wanting.

Remus turned and pulled Percy close, kissing him softly, his lips warm and mobile against Percy's awkward mouth. "That's a very good reason to go to yours," said Remus.

Percy fumbled drawing his wand and covered it up by giving Remus another kiss. "I'll Apparate us, it's faster." His voice was embarrassingly breathy, but Remus didn't seem to mind at all. It took two more kisses and a moment of serious concentration before Percy could manage the spell, and then they were in his little foyer together.

"All parts accounted for?" asked Remus, stepping back with a grin. "I'm afraid I rather distracted you."

"I'm hardly going to splinch us on our first date," said Percy, mock-huffy.

"Well," said Remus slyly, "I'll just have to check all of you over to be sure." He moved close again for another kiss, and this one lingered long enough to slip past awkward and into heated.

Remus was very patient with Percy's shyness, hands finding and staying on Percy's hips, keeping him close but not trying to move things along. They kissed like that in the foyer for a long, heady time, until Percy felt like he couldn't wait another moment.

"I need you in my bed now," said Percy softly, licking lips that felt soft and tingly even after the kissing had stopped. He took one of Remus' hands in his and led him down the hall, pausing to put his gift on a side table before they slipped into Percy's neat bedroom. Everything was in its place, a state of affairs that pleased Percy because he'd never managed it until he lived alone, and the room was cosy and decorated with a few pieces of art he'd picked up here and there.

"It's nice," said Remus, looking around curiously. "Warm, but neat as a pin, rather like you."

Percy kissed Remus again, then let himself cast a freshening charm on the sheets and turn down the bed the way he normally did. "We can put our clothes in my wardrobe, it's got cleaning charms so everything will be ready in the morning."

"Very nice," said Remus, sounding envious. "Those are rather expensive, aren't they?"

Percy kissed him softly. "Mum found me a secondhand one that needed some spell repair, she knew I could fix it up." He slipped off his shoes and put them in the special compartment down at the bottom to be shined, and added Remus' in next to them, crowding it a little, though not so much it would strain the spells. "It's saved me a lot on clothes, I can make do with less of everything since laundry doesn't pile up."

"I'm definitely jealous, then," said Remus, but it was warm and pleased. He'd always been one to appreciate Percy's economies, all the little tricks he learned as a boy to make his life better with less. "I swear I'm always running out of clean shirts."

"They're so expensive, too," said Percy. They both busied themselves getting their socks off while they talked, putting them in the drawer where they'd be cleaned, paired and folded for tomorrow. "Even socks, especially in winter."

Remus kissed Percy, hands going inside the first layer of his robes to pull him close, feeling terribly warm against Percy's shirt. "Now I know to get you socks for Christmas," he said teasingly. He kissed Percy again, then asked softly, "What are we doing tonight? We don't have to do it all at once."

"You had better be planning fuck me," blurted Percy, slightly appalled with himself, at least until Remus kissed him fiercely, with a growl that ought not to have been as sexy as it was, coming from a werewolf.

"Well," said Remus a bit roughly, "I would have said hoping, but planning works, too."

Percy kissed him again, and then stepped back. "Let's get naked?" He was too nervous for a strip tease and too worked up for a prolonged session of slowly undressing one another.

Remus seemed to understand, because he let Percy go and saw to his own clothing. They undressed in silence until they were both naked, hanging their robes in the wardrobe neatly, putting shirts and pants in their respective drawers. Percy let Remus look as much as he wanted, taking the tacit freedom to do the same. Remus was lean and pale but not gaunt any longer, body wiry and fit as a wolf in spring. He had scars everywhere, but they were all old and faded, evidence if there was any more needed that he'd been benefiting from the Wolfsbane. There was sparse brown hair on his arms and thicker on his legs, curls on his chest and a trail leading down to the wiry thatch around his heavy cock.

Percy dragged his eyes up from that lovely prick to Remus' face, and then he just had to step closer and kiss away the look of uncertainty. "You're perfect, Remus." He whispered it between presses of his lips, and Remus relaxed into his arms, returning the kisses with a sweetness that was more satisfying than any sugar animal.

"Let's go to bed," said Remus, taking Percy's hand and leading him to the turned-down bed, wand going onto the bedside table before he slipped between the sheets. 

Percy had to take a moment to appreciate the sight of Remus there in Percy's bed, warm and real and not another fantasy. He turned the lights down, then his wand joined Remus' before he slid into Remus' waiting arms. "You look amazing in my bed," said Percy, a shy little tease. "I think you belong here."

Remus let out another of those possessive little growls and tugged Percy closer, kissing him hard. "You belong in my arms, Percy, no matter where we are."

Percy kissed back, then a helpless giggle escaped him. "I wouldn't want to do this at the tea shop, we'd never be allowed back."

Remus laughed with him, thankfully not offended, and kissed the tip of his nose. "No, not at the tea shop," he allowed, silencing Percy's laughter with another kiss.

One more kiss turned into many more, and Percy found himself relaxing as Remus proved to be as good at this as he was at everything else he put his mind to. There were awkward moments, both of them trying to move at the same time, Percy nearly kneeing Remus when they tried to shift positions, and the inevitable bumped noses, but neither of them minded overmuch. Despite their initial impatience, they took the time to explore each other, their curious natures making it easy to push aside need for further knowledge. Percy discovered that Remus really enjoyed having his nipples toyed with, and Remus found the sensitive place on Percy's neck that always made him squirm. Eventually, though, need won out.

It was Remus who reached for his wand, but Percy had no objections at all to having the preparation spells cast on him, and he spread wide for Remus, lifting his balls out of the way so that Remus could easily see his pink entrance in the dim light. "You're so sexy like this," said Remus, voice rough, and he had to close his eyes and breathe for a long moment before he could cast.

Percy gasped at the tingle of cleaning, purred at the warm relaxation charm, and moaned at the shivery slickness of lube. Remus cast the last spell twice more, slicking both of their cocks, and then he set his wand aside and got into position, pushing Percy's knees up and wide. "Ready?"

Percy nodded, not really trusting his voice, and reached up to pull Remus closer. Remus pressed inward, slowly at first, but once he'd breached Percy's body he slipped in fast enough to make them both gasp. "G-good spells," said Percy, folding himself in half to get a kiss.

"Good hips," countered Remus, giving him the kiss and another thrust, burying himself fully in Percy's welcoming body.

Percy's breath caught on a moan. "Got to keep in shape somehow," he said, taking another kiss. He was wonderfully full, and his slippery cock was trapped between their bodies so that the heat and friction inside and out were almost too much.

"Very good shape," said Remus, stuttering the last word when Percy tightened up around him. 

Remus took the hint and started moving his hips, and Percy lost the thread of banter as his concentration was taken up entirely by the feel of Remus in and over him. Remus' cock moved over nerves that sparked answering tingles in other part of Percy's body, the pleasure building as they kissed and thrust, panted and writhed together. A shift of the hips and sparks flashed through Percy's vision, something inside him coiling tighter, and it only took a few more of those perfectly placed thrusts to set him off. His vision flooded with gold and white, and he arched and came, adding his own slickness to the space between their bodies.

Remus growled and bit gently, mindful of his teeth despite everything, and Percy whimpered and held on tight as Remus found his own release. Percy felt sensitive all over, shivery and satiated, though he couldn't seem to get enough kisses. "Good, so good," he said, holding Remus close.

"Amazing," said Remus, indulging them both in the extra snogging. They got themselves untangled and cleaned up enough to be going on with, and eventually they were tucked in and snuggled up, still exchanging lazy kisses.

"I take it I'm invited to stay?" asked Remus, only mostly teasing.

Percy snuggled just a little closer. "As long as you like," he said. "Well, my alarm will go off at seven, but you get the idea."

Remus chuckled and kissed his hair. "That's my Percy, always precise," he said, but somehow it sounded different coming from him, like a virtue rather than a flaw.

"I like the sound of that, your Percy," he replied sleepily. "S'good."

Remus kissed him one more time and said, "Go to sleep, my Percy, I'll still be your Remus in the morning."

Percy let his eyelids close and sleep claimed him, feeling properly worn out.

* * *

"I turned your change of address form in to my boss today," said Percy, sitting in his usual seat across from Remus at the tea shop. They'd been dating for several months now, and had both agreed that it made sense for Remus to move into his flat, which while small was still bigger and nicer than Remus' grotty little bedsit.

"Oh?" said Remus, waiting for Percy to douse a trio of sleepy sugar puppies with milk before pouring him a nice strong cup of tea. "What did he say?"

Percy smiled and took a sip of the tea, taking a moment to appreciate that Remus knew just how he liked it. "He asked me what took us so long."

Remus and Percy shared a laugh, and then a meal, and, by and by, a life.


End file.
